What does the glucose tolerance test involve?
You will be required to fast one night before (i.e. no drinks or food for at least 8 hours before the test). After the blood test to measure your fasting blood sugar level is taken, you will be given a beverage with an extremely high glucose concentration. Once you have ingested this, a series of blood tests will be taken at intervals over a three hour period to measure your blood sugar levels. If the blood sugar level is high or 2 out 3 of the post glucose drink blood sugars are high, the result is considered abnormal. You might feel queasy after drinking such a sweet beverage on an empty stomach while some are not able to complete the drink. There are alternatives to this which your doctor will work out for you.
